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About

GEHIR is an interdisciplinary research project at Masaryk University, Brno, which applies innovative methods used in the study of the dynamics of complex systems (mathematical and computational modelling, network science) to the historiography of ancient Graeco-Roman religions. Through four focused case studies this project envisions an enrichment of the research into several religious domains of the ancient Mediterranean - Cults of Isis, Early Christianities, Hellenistic Judaism and Mithraism as well as a possibility for an exploration of the formalized modelling approaches in historiography and study of religions in general.

GEHIR organized a modelling workshop "Bridging the Gaps: (Ancient) History from the Perspective of Mathematical and Computational Modelling and Network Analysis" on 13-14 November 2015 in Brno. Because of our guests, we found the event to be quite successful and so it deserves one or two glimpses of looking back.

We had the opportunity to record all the papers. Unfortunatelly, there was no room mic, so the discussions are reconstructable only from the speaker answers - yet the main messages of the presentation are very accessible. To get the context, here is book of abstract and timetable. There is also unedited written record of all papers and discussion. All video materials are available together on youtube.

Video recorded lectures and papers

Keynote speakers

Ken Kahn, "Lessons Learned from Simulating a Splinter Group of a Sect inPapua New Guinea and the Spanish Flu Pandemic"

Johannes Preiser-Kapeller, “The Complex Mediterranean: Networks,Diffusion and Social Dynamics in the Pre-Modern Period”

Istvan Czaches, "Modeling Religions Past"

Papers

Justin Lane, "Religious Networks in situ and in silico"

Andreas Duering, “The Archaeological Paradox. Problems of InterpretingArtefact Data from Cemetery Samples and a Way Out Using Agent-basedModelling Software”